The Associated Press recently released an article about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – also known as the Mormon Church – and the concerning practices behind their abuse helpline. As someone who practiced this religion for 25 years, and a survivor of sexual abuse, I can tell you that it’s time for something to change.

Across the country, teachers and therapists are mandatory reporters, meaning that they must report to the police when someone confesses to abusing another person. However, this is not always the case for clergy. In some states like Utah, members of the clergy are not required to report when someone confesses to abuse – even child sexual abuse like what happened to me. Because of this, abusers are allowed to continue hurting children, sometimes for years.

Instead, clergy are instructed to call a helpline which is staffed by church lawyers. The Associated Press found many instances where the abuse was not reported, and was instead covered up by church lawyers and leaders. 

I was one of those children as a 5 year old sleeping in her bed when a teenager having a sleepover with my brother came into my room and molested me. A few years later he told his bishop and neither me, my parents, nor the authorities were contacted. 18 years after the abuse, he came to my parents house and told me what had happened. His clergy at this time told him to do so in order to fully repent. I am grateful for that clergy who urged him to be open with me, but my heart aches for all the years lost when I could have been working through this trauma. And I have to wonder whether he has hurt anyone else, and if better church policies could have stopped it.

We also request Section 32.4.5, Section
38.6.2.1, and Section 38.6.2.7 in the LDS
Church General Handbook be updated to
note that every single instance of child abuse
must be immediately reported (directly by
the Bishop) to both local police and Child
Protective Services without regard to
state/regional/national ecclesiastical
reporting laws and without any consideration
whatsoever to the perpetrator's desire or
capacity to repent.

Church policy changes often, and I believe this is one that must be reevaluated. I believe we must do better to protect our children. If church policy requires clergy to be mandated reporters then we can help protect children from any future abuse and hold abusers accountable for their behaviors.

EDIT: At the time of writing this, I was an active member of this church, over the past few months I have slowly withdrawn, largely due to the overwhelming feeling that church leadership does not value me or other children abused by individuals within the church. It has been devastating to feel their silence. Instead of paying thousands of dollars for lawyers to help them cover abuse by using loopholes within state laws, this church can and should be doing whatever it takes to protect children. Choose children over abusers! Protect children over church image!